A/N: I've gotta say it so I don't get in trouble:

the only character so far in this story that is mine is Eleonora Oscuro and her Papa. I don't have any claim to any characters or quotations in Harry Potter.

The remaining weeks that led up to my beginnings at Hogwarts was spent with me taking pictures of my home and making wands. Every last little corner of home was put in a scrapbook that I would take with me. I knew that I would want to have a little reminder whenever I got homesick.

I knew how to make a wand, and Papa encouraged me to make them. He would buy the materials, and I would craft them. In my boredom I made a couple: a yew and pixie wing, ten and a quarter, and an ash and unicorn hair, eleven and three quarters. Papa usually sold these to people as secondary wands; I will never claim to be a good wandsmith. That is Olivander's right.

Anyway, Papa and I Apparated straight to Platform 9 & ¾'s, his arm around my shoulder once again, and Nero on my head and my trunk in hand. Papa hugged me very quickly. "Sara solo a cassia (It will be lonely at home)."

"Papa, io sarò a casa prima di conoscerla (I will be home before you know it)," I replied. He reached into his coat pocket and gave me a flask, larger than the ones that he used to give me. "This, 'Nora, is filled to the brim with the Thirst Be-gone potion. Use it sparingly, and when you run out speak to Professor Snape; I've already spoken to him." The train whistled. "Now, you need to get going! I've made you late enough!"

I nodded. "Ciao, Papa (Goodbye)," I said, and hurried to get my trunk on the train. I went to an empty carriage and looked out the window as the train started to move. I spotted Papa waving to me, and so I waved back. "Inviarmi lettere! (Send me letters)!" I heard him shout above the din. I nodded and waved more enthusiastically. As we pulled away, I put my trunk in the luggage rack, sat down on the bench, and looked out the window, already homesick. Then all of a sudden a witch with dirty blonde hair and insane spectacles came in and asked, "Can I sit here?"

I said, "Of course," and gestured to the seat across from me.

"Thanks," she replied, and buried herself in an upside down magazine. I craned my neck to see what it was; it was called the Quibbler. I then heard a scuffling outside the carriage, and looked to see three people: a slightly chubby boy with a toad in hand, a small girl with flaming red hair, and a tall boy with black hair and glasses. They opened the door and asked, "Hi, Luna. Is it okay if we take these seats?" The blonde girl-Luna-and I nodded together.

"Thanks," said the red-head. Luna stared and stared at the black haired boy, and in the uncomfortable silence I stroked Nero.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" asked the red-head.

"Yes," Luna said dreamily, without taking her eyes off the boy. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable. You're Harry Potter," she added. My head popped up right away. The Harry Potter? The Boy who Lived?

"I know I am," said Potter.

The chubby boy chuckled, and Luna turned her eyes on him instead.

"And I don't know who you are."

"I'm nobody," he said hurriedly.

"No you're not," said the red-head sharply. "Neville Longbottom-Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice.

She raised her upside down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. I just sat there, watching this exchange and petting Nero. "Is this normal for people in Hogwarts?" I whispered to him. Apparently I said it loud enough for everyone else to hear, because Potter then said, "No, but it's pretty normal for us."

"'Course, we're not what you'd call normal," said the red head, extending her hand. "Ginny Weasley. Who're you?"

"Eleonora Oscuro. Eleo to some," I answered, taking it.

"Well, Eleo, what year are you in?" asked Ginny.

"Fifth year, and before you ask, I was homeschooled by my papa in Italy."

"Oh, and who's he?"

"He's part of the Ministry of Magic; Foreign Affairs Department, Italian Seats." I saw her wand poking out of a pocket in her robes. "Oh, can I have a look at your wand?"

"My wand?" she asked. I kinda expected that question.

"Yeah, you see, I can tell a lot about a person based on their wand. You see, I dabble in wandlore from time to time…"

She then pulled out her wand. I gripped it eagerly, and started to spout my knowledge in wands. "Ten and a half, phoenix feather core, and oak. A fiery temperament, strong in both defensive and combat magic, very adaptable. Balanced in spell casting, very reliable. Reasonably springy." I looked up at her. "Anyone who calls you friend, they are in for good times with you. Any who calls you foe, beware. Do you have a favorite hex?"

She smiled. "Now that you mention it, I like to use the Bat-Bogey Hex."

"And you, Neville," I said. "Can I see your wand as well?"

He hesitated, before he gave it to me. Again, I started to splurge on knowledge. "Eleven and a quarter, ash wood, and phoenix feather core. Strong in both defensive and combat magic, adaptable to the needs of the caster…A charmwork wand, better in defense than offense…Half a moment…This was another's wand before your own, wasn't it?"

All eyes were on me. Even Luna looked up from her Quibbler. "H-how'd you know?" Neville said, stuttering.

"You see, the wear and tear on this wand is much higher on this wand than any five-year old wand I've ever seen." His face flushed, and Nero dug his claws into me. "Sorry, che è uscito male (that came out wrong)…it's just that I can tell that this wand has seen more battle than you have."

The train rattle downward, speeding into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next we were passing beneath ominously grey clouds.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" said Neville.

"Another Remembrall?" said Harry.

"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago…No, look at this…"

He dug his hand that was not keeping a firm grip on his toad into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small grey cactus in a pot, except that it was covered in what looked like boils rather than spines.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly. "It's really, really rare."

I stared at it. It looked really, really disgusting.

"I don't know if theres one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even," he plowed on. "I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

If I ever got a chance, I'm going to give this poor boy a wand that works well with Herbology. From the way he talked about that gross little plant, I could tell that it was his passion.

All of a sudden, my head started hurting, and I wasn't in the carriage anymore. I was outside, and there were students everywhere, and greenhouses filled with strange plants were everywhere as well. I felt like I was in a dream, and a couple of students walked straight through me. It was a curious sensation. Then I saw a man, in his forties, ushering the students inside a greenhouse. I recognized him. It was an older Neville Longbottom, and he was smiling. He had a grand hat on his head, and he had the air of a man with authority.

Then, all of a sudden, I was wrenched back to the carriage with a rancid manure smell and Stinksap all over me. Ginny and Luna looked like they had slimy green hats, but Harry, Neville, and I got their faces full of the stuff.

"S-sorry," Neville gasped. "I haven't tried that before…I didn't realize it would be quite so…don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added, as Harry and I spat mouthfuls on the floor. It tasted GROSS! It was strange to think that this same boy who just got Stinksap all over me was the same that I saw…I must be hallucinating.

At that precise moment the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh…hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um…bad time?" A very pretty girl was standing in the doorway smiling at Harry.

"Oh…hi," said Harry blankly.

"Um…," said Cho. "Well…just thought I'd say hello…bye then."

Rather pink in the face, she closed the door and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned. He likes her, just by that reaction I could tell that he wished that he was doing something cool with cool friends, perhaps even just told a cool joke, than sitting in the middle of what seemed to be Stinksap bomb debris clutching a toad.

"Never mind," said Ginny. "Look, we can easily get rid of this." She pulled out her wand. "Scourgify!"

The Stinksap vanished.

"Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice.

In nearly an hour, the food trolley had come and gone, and I was busy nibbling a Chocolate Frog when the compartment door slid open again and two more people came in. They were accompanied by a cat and a shrilly hooting, very tiny owl in a cage.

"I'm starving," said the red-headed boy, stowing the tiny bird next to the white owl, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself between the two of us. He ripped open the wrapper, bit off the frog's head and leaned back with his eyes closed as though he had had a very exhausting morning.

"I'm sorry, and you are…?" I asked him. He opened his eyes and stared at me.

"He's Ron, my older brother," said Ginny to me. "And this is Hermione Granger. Both are the Gryffindor prefects this year. This is Eleo Oscuro," she continued to the others, "She's brand new."

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each house," said Hermione, looking disgruntled as she took her seat. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" said Ron, closing his eyes again.

"Malfoy," replied Harry and I at the same time.

"'Course," said Ron bitterly. "How do you know Malfoy, Eleo?"

"I met him in Diagon Alley. Papa knew his mother, apparently, and she mentioned that he was a prefect," I said. "He seemed nice 's wrong with him?"

"Malfoy is the biggest git in the history of gits," said Ron, and everyone started nodding in agreement.

"He's horrid to anyone who isn't a pureblood like him," said Hermione harshly.

I was tempted to say that I was half vampire, but I kept silent. Perhaps they didn't even notice my fangs. I scratched Nero behind the ears and said, halfheartedly, "That's bad enough for anyone to dislike anybody."

I think Harry noticed my halfhearted-ness, because he then said, "Yeah, well, you haven't seen him in action with the rest of his cronies."

"Speaking of his cronies, that complete cow Pansy Parkingson is one too," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll…"

"Who's Hufflepuff?" Harry asked.

"Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbot," said Ron thickly.

"And Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil for Ravenclaw," said Hermione.

"You went to the Yule Ball with Padma Patil," said a vague voice.

Everyone turned to look at Luna, who was gazing unblinkingly at Ron over the top of The Quibbler. He swallowed a mouthful of Frog.

"Yeah, I know I did," he said, looking mildly surprised.

"She didn't enjoy it very much," Luna informed him. "She doesn't think you treated her very well, because you wouldn't dance with her. I don't think I'd have minded," she added thoughtfully, "I don't like dancing very much."

She retreated behind The Quibbler again. Ron stared at the cover with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds, then looked around at Ginny for some kind of explanation, but Ginny had stuffed her knuckles in her mouth to stop herself giggling. Ron shook his head, bemused, then checked his watch.

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," he told the rest of us, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.

My head started to hurt again, and I was again not in the compartment. It was starting to creep me out, this sensation. I was in Dumbledore's office, and I felt like a ghost. I saw myself, slightly taller, my hair cut in my face, with Draco Malfoy in front of my other self. They-we?-were staring at each other, seething. Dumbledore was sitting in his chair smiling slightly. He was shouting something, but it was as if I had earmuffs on. I couldn't hear what he was shouting. I then slapped him. The air froze-and I returned back to the compartment with a jolt.

The compartment door opened a third time during the trip, and Malfoy was smirking at Harry from behind two rather large boys.

"What?" Harry said aggressively, before Draco could open his mouth.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Draco. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville laughed. Draco's lip curled. "Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," said Draco, smirking. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

"I will, when Oscuro here comes with me," he said, and everyone looked at me. "She deserves to sit with people better than Mudbloods and blood traitors."

Everyone was staring at me. I knew that what I decide now would affect the rest of my school year. Nero hissed at everyone, and I said, "Well…um…I…uh…I need some air." I got up and shoved passed Draco to the next car, and the car after that, hurrying to the very end of the train. When I finally reached the cambusa (caboose), I leaned over the railing.

The weather remained undecided as they traveled further and further north. After a while, I decided to return to the compartment because it had started to rain. I went slowly, and owned the door of the compartment. I guessed that it had been silent the whole time I was away, and everyone looked up at me. There was an awkward silence before Hermione said, "We'd better change."

Everyone opened their trunks, and with difficulty we all changed into our school robes. She and Ron pinned prefect badges carefully to their chests.

At last, the train began to slow down and I heard racket up and down it as everybody scrambled to get their luggage and pets assembled, ready to get off.

"You need to keep your stuff here, Eleo," whispered Hermione to me furtively. "When we get outside, go straight to the person who's shouting 'First years,' alright?" I nodded in answer. "And leave your cat here, too."

I put Nero on the bench and said, "Stay here until they come and get you, alright?" He circled on the spot and sat down quite comfortably.

We shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on our faces as we joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly, we moved towards the doors. I could smell the pine trees that lined the path as I stepped down on to the platform. I looked around and heard a brisk female voice calling out, "First years line up over here, please! All first-years to me!"

"I'd better go," I said, but no one seemed to hear me. I shrugged, and struggled to get to the woman calling out. "Excuse me, ma'am, but I'm a new student. My name's Eleonora Oscuro-"

"Yes, the headmaster told me that you were to come with me. Line up with the first-years," the witch said, and continued to call out to the nani (midgets). I stood right behind her, looking around at all of the bustling students. After all of the older students left, the witch turned to the me saying, "You're to stay with me until we reach the castle. As for the rest of you," she addressed to the first-years, "We are going across the lake to Hogwarts."

The next bit of time was almost ethereal to me. We went across the glittering lake, and the castle stood before us like a dream. Every one of the windows was lit, and moonlight broke through the clouds for just a moment. I pinched myself to make sure I was actually sitting there.

The little boats carried us through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking us right underneath the castle, until we reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.

Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after the witch's lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.

"Is everyone here? Yes? Good," shouted the witch. She raised her knobby hand and knocked three times on the castle doors.

A/N: I had to go back to the Sorcerer's Stone for the last bit…anyway, that was fun seeing, wasn't it? :)

What House will Eleo be sorted in? Gryffindor with the famed Harry Potter? Or Slytherin with Draco Malfoy? Or perhaps even Ravenclaw? Or Hufflepuff?